COVID-19
RIVM: Excess mortality is a new reality since COVID,
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15.08.2024
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Gijs van Loef en John Jacobs of the Platform Betrouwbare Zorgcijfers monitored the COVID-19 crisis with the mortality figures. Even after the Dutch government stopped with current data, they followed the mortality figures published by the RIVM (The Dutch National institute for health (data).
In the RIVM figures they noticed a few discrepancies, including a new calculation that led to lower mortality rates. They reported their findings to the RIVM, which aresponded that the increased mortality rates due to the COVID epidemic are the new reality. This is the motivation for the RIVM to include 2020-2023 in the multi-year average to calculate the reference value of mortality rates. As a result of this method, the excess mortality in 2024 will be lower than if 2019 would have been the last year for reference mortality. In their explanation, the RIVM mentions the COVID epidemic as one of the factors for excess mortality in the years before 2024. We thank the RIVM for this candid correspondence.
We regret that the excess mortality data due to Covid will now be included in the reference mortality. Since the beginning of Covid, the Netherlands has had the highest excess mortality in Western Europe. Moreover the excess mortality seems to last longer in the Netherlands. Due to a higher normal value, the severity of the health crisis in the Netherlands can be underestimated. Even now, the figures indicate that the quality of Dutch healthcare is in a worrying situation.
Almost all countries show excess mortality since the COVID crisis. The Dutch figures show that their excess mortality is higher than in other Western European countries. We call on the Dutch government to analyse the causes of excess mortality and, if possible, to tackle its causes. As possible causes, we have mentioned (a) the higher infection rate in the Netherlands in an attempt to build more (herd) immunity, and (b) the market forces that undermine healthcare from within. We do not rule out other causes either, but we do not believe that turning a blind eye to the figures is constructive action.
We would like to encourage the RIVM and the government to use reference mortality figures from before 2020 to determine the severity of excess mortality due to COVID.
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